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Dudley-based Truckman, the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of hardtops for pick-up trucks, is increasing its export activity after establishing a long-term relationship with a Swiss vehicle accessory supplier.

Casco Accessories has been serving the Swiss pick-up market for five years enjoying rapid growth and recently expanded into the larger Italian market where the 4x4 vehicles are growing in popularity among both leisure and commercial users.

Having first imported hardtops from Holland, Casco Accessories has now struck the agreement with West Midlands-based Truckman for a selection of its luxury and robust commercial canopies to meet a growing demand from customers. It is now successfully supplying Fiat, Ford, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Nissan dealers in Switzerland with Truckman hardtops and aims to enjoy similar growth in Italy.

From its base in the North of Switzerland, Casco Accessories stocks British-built Truckman hardtops including the Classic and Utility Top and the commercial-leisure crossover Truckman RS. Casco Accessories also stocks Truckman’s leisure hardtop range including the Grand, GLS and S-Series models which are all designed in the UK.

Its customers cover a cross-section of industries including agriculture and construction, with the majority being private vehicle owners who use their pick-ups for both business and leisure activities.

While the UK remains the core market for Truckman, with about 10 percent of its business coming from international sales, the West Midlands company aims to increase its export activity through its relationships with companies such as Casco Accessories.

In addition to accessing the Swiss and Italian markets through Casco, Truckman is also targeting countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway Luxembourg and Sweden.

As part of its export push, the company will also be showcasing its British products later this year when it appears at one of the world’s premier industry exhibitions, Automechanika Frankfurt. Taking place in September, the event attracts more than 133,000 visitors and around 4,800 exhibitors.

Mike Wheeler, Executive Chairman of Truckman, said: “We are very pleased to establish this relationship with Casco, which has real potential as the company grows its market in Switzerland and Italy. British-made products continue to have a respected reputation in Europe and I am convinced that, despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, UK companies can forge strong relationships with customers on the continent to then grow and maintain a presence in these markets.

“While the UK remains Europe’s largest pick-up truck market and one that commands much of our focus, the combined activity in Germany, France, Spain and Sweden equate to a similar size, which offers a significant opportunity for Truckman and we see export as an important element of our future growth.”

Barbara Castellani, founder of Casco Accessories, said: “We have been very impressed with Truckman, both in terms of the quality of the products, but also the service we receive from them. We have ambitious plans to grow our business, particularly in Italy, which is a very large market that we are keen to develop, and look forward to working with Truckman as we grow the business further.”

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